Construction set to begin on new BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse

Building permits were issued Wednesday for the planned restaurant at 15022 Max Leggett Parkway, an outparcel of the new Parkway Shops development, home to the soon-to-open Dick’s Sporting Goods, Marshalls discount department store and other businesses. The new retail center is adjacent to River City Marketplace.

According to the permit, the restaurant will be nearly 10,000 square feet and cost more than $1.9 million to build.

The restaurant will be the second BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse in Jacksonville. In August 2011, the Huntington Beach, Calif.-based chain opened its first Jacksonville-area restaurant at the Markets at Town Center on the city’s Southside.

The casual dining, family-friendly restaurant is known for its deep-dish pizzas, handcrafted beers and its famous Pizookie dessert — a fresh-baked cookie topped with vanilla bean ice cream served in a deep-dish pan.